Safety Phone Application Goes Free

18 October 2011, 14:59 | Updated: 18 October 2011, 15:20

A mobile phone application that helps keep taxi passengers in Hertfordshire safe is being made free for the first time.

Am I Safe works by allowing passengers to check the validity of a taxi or private hire vehicle before they open the car door. The service also creates a geographic ‘footprint’ of the check and notifies family or friends of the passenger’s location at the time.

The app was launched in Watford in August and so far 3400 people have downloaded it from the town.

It should be available in Hatfield and St Albans on 31st October.

Anthony Price-Thompson, the founder of Am I Safe? says ‘We have had a fantastic response to the service across the country from passengers and drivers alike, along with very strong support from councils and police forces.

Our ongoing research with passengers and local authorities from online surveys uncovered that whilst passengers were prepared to pay a one off cost for life, local authorities overwhelmingly thought it should be a free service.

It is thanks to their support and that of commercial sponsors that we are now able to do that.’

Am I Safe? is due to be rolled out across the remainder of the country by the end of the year.

Unlike most mobile phone apps, Am I Safe? is web-based and can be accessed via any smartphone by visiting www.amisafe.co.uk on your mobile.

A refund is being offered for anyone who's previously paid for the app – users should receive an email or you can claim it by clicking here